Storms, Wind, and Heat Blast Through Mid-Atlantic America

Nearly two million people through out the East and South states are still with out electricity on Sunday after thunderstorms and intense wind barreled through the mid-Atlantic region on Saturday killing 12 people, The New York Times said.

Thunderstorms began to accumulate outside of Chicago and moved east to south striking Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, and New Jersey, NPR News reported.

According to NPR, the type of storms can be described as land hurricanes, also termed derecho, because wind reaches a speed of 58 miles per hour or higher.

The high temperatures and humidity across the region was what allowed the derecho system to reach the intensity and wind speed that caused so much destruction, meteorologists from The Washington Post explained.

Damages included, uprooted trees, blown off roofs, and ruined power lines, The New York Times said. 12 people were killed and at least 20 people were injured through the course of the storms.

Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia all declared states of emergency and President Obama signed a disaster declaration for West Virginia.